FROM the heart of Macclesfield’s struggling centre, the team of businessmen have carved out plans they say could benefit trade overnight.

"The town centre is dying and change is needed urgently – today," said John Taylor, architect at Dobson Chapman, Market Place, Macclesfield.

"Our idea would cost a fraction of the Wilson Bowden scheme and could help people overnight – some changes wouldn’t even need planning permission."

Returning stalls to the Market Place in what would be an expanded outdoor centre befitting a traditional market town is just one feature.

Another is to scrap plans for a multi-storey car park, instead retaining existing parking spaces.

A third is to create a covered "arcade" link between what the group sees as two "mini retail centres" either side of Castle Street.

The idea came about during a meeting of more than a dozen Macclesfield businessmen concerned about the town centre’s prospects for 2009, on February 13.

They have all signed up to the proposal and are now looking for developers willing to take the scheme on and are even preparing to lobby Cheshire East Council on the issue.

Management surveyor Val Lloyd said: "There is a lack of confidence and that is only going to get worse unless something is done. No one is going to invest at the moment because of all the uncertainty."

Mike Sutton, a director at property developers Janhill Estates, said: "To get this group of people together is unprecedented in the town.

"To get everyone to agree to this is proof of the strength of feeling there is. We are using the historic core and this is on a scale that will revitalise Macclesfield and that it can sustain."

John added: "We are not in favour of the Wilson Bowden plan but accept that a major project is needed in the long term.

"But because of the recession we need something faster. The only cost of our plan is to convert the pedestrianised way. It is about getting the busy-ness back and that could be done immediately.

"It is also critical that existing surface car parking be retained – 95 per cent would be removed under Wilson Bowden’s plan."

Eric Rogers, a chartered surveyor, said: "We are appealing to developers to come and take this on board.

"It would generate confidence and get traders and companies thinking again about Macclesfield.

"There would no major demolition and the disruption would be nominal.

"If Debenhams are worth what they say they are worth and their interest is genuine, they would come in on the back of this. We also want to get Cheshire East involved."

Retired architect Peter Rathbone said: "For too long there has been a natural barrier on the left-hand side of Castle Street between the two mini centres – one being the traditional shopping around Chestergate and the other is TJ Hughes, Tesco and Marks and Spencers. This would remove that."